An ITV show which reportedly cost £2.5million to make is said to not be coming back as it didn’t manage to impress ITV viewers
Monde Mwitumwa TV and Celebrity Reporter
11:10, 08 Jul 2025Updated 11:19, 08 Jul 2025
This ITV show has been labelled ‘most expensive flop in years'(Image: ITV )
ITV is rumoured to be axing The Genius Game, hosted by David Tennant and tagged as ‘the most expensive flop in years’, after the finale’s audience only matched that of a BBC2 pangolin documentary.
The high-stakes game show, with a reported production cost of £2.5million, ended its run with an average viewership of 661,000, equivalent to Pangolins: The World’s Most Wanted Animal—a documentary delving into the plight of the endangered species.
A telly insider shared with The Sun: “Publicly ITV maintains that no firm decision has been taken, but most execs and commissioners view it as a disaster.”
“Not only did it occupy a primetime 9pm slot, it had a big-name host and was seen as a potential rival for BBC’s The Traitors.
“But of the five main channels on June 11, it was beaten by two and equalled by BBC2, thanks to those pangolins.”
The Genius Game, presented by David Tennant, is thought to have cost £2.5million to produce(Image: ITV)READ MORE: Emmerdale confirms return of fan favourite after 5 years and it’s bad news for Cain DingleREAD MORE: Coronation Street schedule this week as ITV soap in huge shake-up
Following its promising debut with 1.2 million viewers, The Genius Game’s numbers plummeted to 846,000 by episode two, leaving other shows like Race Across the World with 4.2 million viewers far ahead in the ratings race, reports Leicestershire Live.
Despite its innovative concept where players test their wits for cash rewards, intricate gameplay led many to find The Genius Game baffling and overcomplicated.
While the series initially pulled in a substantial crowd, subsequent performances have been less impressive, trailing behind shows like BBC1’s blockbuster Race Across the World and Channel 5’s Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts which also snagged a significant 718,000 viewers on the same night.
It remains uncertain if the show will be renewed for another season, as ITV has announced that “No decision has yet been made.”
At first the show had a promising start as it initially drew 1.2 million viewers, but this dropped to 846,000 by the second episode(Image: ITV)
This development follows initial viewer feedback on social media, where many expressed difficulty understanding the format of the reality game show after its premiere episode.
One viewer, taking to X (formerly Twitter), shared their confusion: “Just starting this. Seems very complicated. I’ll watch it out but not looking good tbh #GeniusGame.”
Another viewer switched off the show after a mere ten minutes, simply stating: “Bye bye.”
A different audience member added: “Sorry #GeniusGame it’s a no from me, way too complicated for that time of night, I need mindless entertainment after a busy day, ITV should’ve just extended #CBBUK instead.”
The Genius Game is available to watch on ITVX